I didn't expect much coming to this game knowing it's just a bridge to a new arc, but I was soo wrong. For a closing arc, this game has one of the best character development I've seen. The characters as well, though some played a more passive role for the sake of putting the new ones on the spotlight, they were all still great, especially the new additions. With daydreams, one of the best features of this game, old characters are given the stage to show how much they've grown, with my favourite being Ash, watching his daydream really makes me realize how much have actually changed since the past games. Having gone from a "troublemaker" to being a more soft and reliable person for those around him. Other characters that has a romance sub-plot like Olivier and Scherazard are also given a really wholesome, romantic moment through daydream and not just put aside.

The story itself is fantastic, not the best in the world, but still quite peak, mostly by how the 3 routes works together. C's Route is very well written and the most well written one in the game, it's where the character development shines the brightest, making me change my perspective of "C" a full 180 after playing through it. The new character added also really shows actual substance and development, not just a soulless filler given form. Rean's route was really cool, it has a lot of peak moments especially when it intersects with C's, it plays quite like an action movie. Lloyd's route was the weakest for me, but still good nonetheless, it has its peak moments as well, just not as deep as C's route or as consistent as Rean's.

This game, though supposed to be the shortest compared to the Cold Steel series, took me the longest to complete. With the addition of the Reverie corridor and those that comes along with it. Everything is made bigger and better. They went full throttle on peak moments and payoffs.

Hands down, the best game in the series for me. Trails through Daybreak soon.

This is one of those rare games where you'll feel like you're in for an incredible once in a long while experience right from the beginning, and 40+ hours later, I still want to see more of the casts.

The story might be one of the most ambitious story I've ever experienced. It is really convoluted and layered. The problem with convoluted stories is that it needs an explanation similar with it's complexity, and I feel like it is done pretty well here, with a great concept by having you experience the story of different characters (13 in total) with each side giving you different answers and explanations to your questions, there are also a lot of moments where character storylines intersect with one another, filling in the gap. I did however notice that a lot of the explanations comes in "Data Logs" which is a convenient tool to info dump the players and makes perfect sense in the context, however at times it feels "too convenient"

This might also be the most convoluted romance plotline I've ever seen. If someone were to make a relationship chart for this game, the lines would create a whole new shape entirely. I also feel like a few character storylines feels too romance driven at times, I do like romance in a great story, but some story moments for like two characters, they would just be simping for someone. While some other pairs don't really get much romantic moments, especially the "time traveling criminal" and the "nurse", I'd love to see more of their time in the past the most, considering that their relationship have arguably the most bearing on the story.

I do love the casts of this game, their designs, voices, personalities, they're all special and unique. I also love the concept of each character storyline, some more than others, like Nenji Ogata's "repetition", even though simple, it feels cool in a way. While some storylines may feel a little stale in the beginning, they do catch up quick. The English voice acting is also top tier.

The tower defense part of the game is really solid, though I find it very easy on normal, apart from the final mission and one or two leading up to it, to get an S rank. It can also get pretty grindy depending on how you tackle this part.

Also, the game's art design, from the environment and the characters are masterfully done. One of the most beautiful I've seen. The music is also pretty good.

Overall, It is a uniquely incredible journey that ties itself up pretty well in the end. It may have its flaws, but I always feel like I'm in for something special throughout the whole game. I regret not playing this sooner.

Bravely Second is great.

It feels like a complete upgrade from Default in most things such as combat/jobs and other QoL mechanics while also removing all annoying parts of Default. You can also be even more broken in this game with the addition of new jobs. However enemies are also somewhat buffed to not just be fodders.

The story is... different, to say the least. Unlike the innovation on the WoL/4 Crystal tale of Default. This one follows on a more original storyline. I don't really consider one better than the other narratively. They're both really good. Though I'll say Default has a deeper story but Second has a really fun story and bigger as well, with double the amount of locations.

BUT what I am sure of is that Second handles their story MUCH better than Default did. Though Default has a really unique/deep storyline, it is overshadowed by how horrid the 4 worlds repetitions are, even though the payoff is rewarding. There is also something similar here in Second, however it is handled PERFECTLY, not only was it really epic but also doesn't keep repeating itself. It has an epic conclusion sequence as well, though not as huge a scale as Default did.

What I find lacking in the story is the fact that, though Chapter 5 was epic all the way through, it does feel like it ties itself too neatly in the end. Like the "Kaiser" plot somewhat feels too convenient in the way it ended. But it's nothing really bothersome, it's just something tugging in the back of my head reaching that part.

Spoilers
My second complaint is that the build-up to the "True" Final Boss of the game feels too short, though it is hinted at in the previous chapters through a sub-plot, it's not exactly done enough with only Chapter 6 hinting at it repeatedly. This is probably somewhat the opposite of my complaint for Default's story. The true main villain is hinted a lot of the times and the hints are shoved to your face, but there is little acknowledgement from the party members. But here, it's not done enough where the build up to the True Evil feels sufficient. It does however managed to turn a not-so subtle sub plot of a certain "5th" party member to hint at or connect to the existence and purpose of the True Villain in the end which do feel pretty cool.

Another thing I love about this game is the characters. Villains and heroes alike. All antagonists here are not just some random weirdos the big bad found on the streets (except maybe 2 people), they are all prominent figures of a huge event which happened predating the events of the first game that changes the course of the world, an event which was even mentioned back at default and what jumpstarted the events of the series. So they're all huge deals and have a valid reason for their purpose as a villain.

As for the main party, as much as I love Ringabel, I honestly prefer this game's cast than Default's. Mostly because they act more like friends here and they don't take things too seriously.

First of all, there's 2 returning cast, Edea and Tiz. Edea is more mature in this game, instead of confusing things as just black and white, she feels more certain of herself but also kept her usual Edea personality as always. This is pretty much her character in the best possible version.
Tiz, which was a blank slate in the first game turned to an absolute Chad.
Yew, the new "main" character is really fun. I think he embodies the tone of the game really well. Quirky, fun, doesn't take things too seriously, has a lot of weaknesses and fears like a normal person but also embodies a sense of heroism like Tiz and Duty like Edea. The character development he got was also done really well. Because unlike Tiz in the first game who was pretty much just a blank canvas and feels really shallow and empty. Yew really feels like a junior hero with weaknesses and doubts.
Lastly, Magnolia. She is a very unique character, and probably the most interesting one. She's like the final piece of the puzzle that fits perfectly to the board. Without her, I feel like the party would feel "stiff". She gives off a similar tone as Yew. Quirky, charming and also being really likeable.
There's not a single dull person in the party anymore, if anything the opposite is true.
All in all, they don't feel as duty-bound as the Normandy Crew or bound by being misfits like Berseria. They feel more like genuine friendship above all. With optional camp conversations, you can watch and see that in their down time and on the field they really are just best friends who jokes with or picks on one another. The romance between Magnolia and Yew do feel a bit forced at the very beginning but do get natural development after a certain part.

As for the music, I'll just say that the lack of Revo is noticeable.

All in all, what started as me pondering for hours whether I should start the series or not due to the infamous part of the first game turned to a gem of a series for me. With one of the most endearing casts and the sweetest ending I've ever seen in a JRPG. I'm glad I decided to try the series out and see for myself. I will miss this game and I really do hope that there will be a Bravely third, after all this time. This series is a must play for JRPG fans. I do plan on playing BD2 sooner or later, even though I heard it's pretty divisive.

It's uh really mid, and the animation is really really awkward, so it's great they really improved that in AI:SF and AI:NI.
The characters are alright i guess... though they made Junpei an emo which can be cool at first but at other times he can be an ass.

Plus Sigma is a completely different guy, all serious unlike in the previous entry which make perfect sense but I wasn't so attached to him compared to in VLR because of that, was hoping he at least maintain some quirkiness.

Some story beats are really good and the concept introduced are nice while some can be somewhat out of the blue or outrageous, even the whole plot twist with what the villain "can do" seems a bit anime like it's really forced out of nowhere.

The ending is also one of the biggest cop out I've ever seen, remember being so frustrated for days after seeing it, they build up this plot from the previous 2 games only to have one of the most cop out ending in the history of gaming itself, it's really disappointing.

I've been playing this game since launch, played through the Belobog and the Xianzhou arc, and didn't really put much thought into the story as at best they're just "good" (Belobog) and at worst (The Xianzhou arc) a complete mess.

Penacony however, blows them out of the water completely. I actually care for the characters (and unironically got addicted to the game). I didn't plan on writing a review of this game ever, since I thought there wouldn't be anything really noteworthy. I was completely wrong, ever since 2.0 the writing is actually really great?? I didn't expect this after the Xianzhou arc at all. You could really feel the jump in writing quality.

I really like most of the twists and especially the ending. Though I do see people complain regarding the mystery aspect of Penacony, mentioning that it is too "enshrouded in mystery". I honestly really like that aspect, as they do enforce a "show, not tell" kind of writing from and especially at the beginning, though I do agree that some payoffs of that are quite underwhelming like "Death".

Overall, the Penacony arc as a whole have been nothing short of impressive, there is still 2.3 left as an epilogue to wrap up this arc, but the story itself is honestly up there with HI3 Flamechasers arc for me in the hoyoverse. It may have been convoluted with some pacing issues somewhere along the line, but it managed to pull through and gives justice to all the characters in the end (though some less than others with their lesser screen time), including the MC (TB), with a very peak climax of a final act. I'm glad they actually give the TB a huge moment to shine while showing their worth and not just make them a punching bag for other characters to shine instead.

Unlike Yakuza 0 which I have nothing but praise for, I have very mixed feelings regarding this game. I do get that it's a remake but the original game itself is very flawed and aged very poorly. Though even then, I do think it's still a very solid game with a cool story despite it's many flaws.

One of my major gripes is the combat. Like every yakuza games, you WILL fight multiple people at once even 10 or so enemies at some point, some of them will use knives or guns, which is fine as long as the combat system is smooth and balanced. This game however nerfs certain styles and even locks the dragon style for at least 8-10 chapters before it becomes remotely useful, even then you have to fight Majima an absurdly amount of times, it took me a total of 50 Majima fights to get most of the dragon style unlocked (missing 4 or 5 abilities) before i gave up from how repetitive it became, it's also RNG as well, certain abilities require certain type of Majima. In my 30+ hours of playthrough, I never once came across Idol Majima in the streets and therefore never unlock the corresponding abilities. I have to say, despite how broken Tiger Drop is, it definitely made some questionable combat mechanic and some outdated level design less BS.

Secondly, there's so many features that were actually good ideas however implemented very poorly, like the Majima Everywhere system, that's a good idea on paper but the thing is they start and end the same way, the only difference is the types of Majima you'll fight and where you'll encounter him. Not to mention you can only grind it fully near the finale.

Another thing is the Kiwami heat action, it's a good concept and it's actually cool for the first 5 or so hours, then everything just starts to be repetitive, seeing the same animation over and over again, not to mention the recovering state of bosses, if you don't have enough heat gauge, the boss will heal a single health bar, the worst part of it is that bosses could do this multiple times, which means boss fights could take ages, and for every time you execute a Kiwami Heat Action the damage drops drastically, rendering them near useless for damage as the boss fight goes on.

And the Bloat, I think there's so much bloat added for the sake of having a longer playtime. I do get it, in fact I love that they expanded on like Nishiki's Story, and some substories which is expanded from 0. However many substories do feel uninspired and is just there for the sake of bloating the game. I swear my Kiryu got scammed like 10 different times walking around Kamurocho in CH4.

The story is a mixed for me, on one hand I do love it, It's definitely unique, but on the other hand, i feel like some plots happen just cause. Like some death could've been easily avoided but happened just for the sake of garnering emotions, even the whole thing with Jingu and Yumi feels like it happened just cause, it could've easily been different but it's like they wanted to find a way for Yumi to stay relevant to the story. Also, apparently every villain in this game knows they're being betrayed by the previous one, and this goes up the chain till the final boss, which is a classic trope overdone here. It's like that meme of people being one step ahead of each other.

Overall, I never have this much mixed feelings for a game in a long time. Is it still worth playing? Absolutely.
Despite it's flaws I do think it's still fun to go through, you'll definitely notice the flaws as you play but at the end of the day, you'll also see that there's still much to love. As long as you don't expect anywhere near the quality of 0 that is.

Opus Echo of Starsong is an emotional journey. It doesn't have the best narrative by far, but it focuses the storytelling on each character's growth and relationship. The gameplay is nothing special, and the puzzles are something an eight year old could do, the hard part is just finding the object to interact with.

The game is short (7-10hrs) and the good thing out of this, is that things rarely slows down for a long time, it can go from 1 to 100 in the span of a chapter or even half of it. The bad thing out of it is that the game is very lore heavy. There are so much lore surrounding the whole place that you need to process in the short span of the game.

Character developments also plays a huge part in this game, however only Eda was somewhat "stated" to grow by the end of the story (despite her actions proving otherwise so...). Whereas Jun is still the same person throughout, obsessing over "honor" and his "clan" from the beginning to the end, the only development he got is being infatuated with Eda as the story continues. Remi, as well stays the same for most of the story, she did soften up to Jun near the end and even becomes his close friend after a certain part, however their reconciliation just happens. She suddenly feels guilty towards Jun. It feels too fast, and it's just resolved after. Though, unlike Jun, I do like Remi and find her character tragic. Unfortunately, the character developments are not handled well.

The length also affects other character's relationship, as at times, things are developing too quick. Bones and Jun for example, although he did save Bone's life, he was the one that placed his life in danger in the first place, and somehow after writing him letters, they became close buddies? This is one of those they tried to explained as one of the "things" that just happens during the time skip (which happens a few times), so it feels out of nowhere.

The biggest emphasis of the problem are also on Jun and Eda's relationship (The biggest driving point of the game) which feels underdeveloped. You will get one or two major scene/s between them every chapter and the rest of it is mostly implications of their relationship developing, and the funny part is, a lot of it are actually from other characters, while other times it's merely little things like worrying about each other. Jun's feelings toward Eda however does come from a place of love, although not said explicitly, but he stated that meeting her is one of the best things that happened in his life. Though Eda does feel the same way, it is only implied, it is also apparent that she cares for Jun's wellbeing a lot. She tends to have a "tsun" attitude toward Jun whenever he's doing or saying something with romantic connotation, sometimes showing discomfort and even keeps dismissing his sincerity as "jokes" or not acknowledging it much, this never really change till the end, especially her choice at the end. It feels like they are trying to write a blooming love story while at the same time, trying their best not to make it apparent, and so the clear imbalance of what is said and implied makes it so that, in the short span of the game, not enough development between them is seen to be built. It's a very big reason why I think the game should've been longer. The ending between them didn't hit me as much as I thought it would.

MAJOR SPOILER WARNING
A good storytelling method for me, would be one that stood somewhere between "exposition" and "implication". If a story loves doing expositions, then I might as well be watching Dora the Explorer. If a story goes full implication, then nothing might as well happened. A narrative that does more implications (foreshadowing/underlying meaning) can be executed well if the payoffs are expositions (big twist/reveal), this game however pays off implications with more implications, which some may like, but not me personally. This brings me to the ending scene in which Eda planted the flowers for Jun. In this scene, it's supposed to be the culmination of their relationship throughout the game, however their relationship is still underdeveloped due to not much has been explicitly established, and so it doesn't really hit me as much as I thought it would. Eda planting the flower, could also be seen as a lot of things, I've seen a few took it as her "declaration of love" to Jun, although it might be, among other things, it just feels out of character for her. I see it more as her keeping her promise to him as well as atonement for leaving him and Remi behind. But again, it could really be any or all of these. They also seem to reunite in their young selves somehow? even though it's only explained that emotions and thoughts are the only thing that can travel through time, unless it is in the afterlife, it doesn't seem clear as it just cuts off which is why I'm disappointed as the culmination of their relationship growing being insinuated before this is even more insinuation. It's not a terrible sequence, but I am just more in awe than I am emotional.

Overall, It's still a journey, and though I've mostly mention the flaws, it's more coming from a place of wasted potential. The story is nothing grand and doesn't evolve beyond what it already is, but it'll still pull your heart strings regardless.

It has a really good story/premise but sadly accompanied by a very poor execution, one of the worst I've seen.

Most story quests with actual good story is usually accompanied by terrible gameplay such as "talk to this person, then this person and so on" or "find and grab this 8 items nearby" and then walking back and forth over and over again, there's like a hundred quests making me go from one corner to another corner of Liyue just to talk to people back and forth, it's like grinding the poor gameplay design just to get to the good ones like actually fighting the enemy which can get a bit boring since enemies outside of the spiral abyss are like bubbles, it takes an average of 10 seconds just to beat them sometimes more depending on the number, but it's still better than the other gameplay mechanic.

The grind in this game is also very repetitive since you will 100% replay the same dungeon over and over again due to RNG, but I don't consider that game-breaking since it is an RPG game and therefore a level of grinding is needed. However, the grinding is definitely designed in the most RNG way possible, so that you wouldn't have a "good" artifact for your team in the first few hundred tries, giving you a reason to continue playing the game since there's a very clear lack of endgame content so it acts as something like a long term "goal" similar to raiding dungeons in MMOs but infinitely much worst, it is definitely something worth noting of.

The events in this game are also pain, some of it is good and engaging but most of it is actual pure pain. It either has a really poor gameplay mechanic or just sends you from one point in the map to another to talk to someone repeatedly for at least 6x like what I've discussed early on (writing this I realized that the devs could (somewhat) write a decent story, they just don't know how to dump the story onto the players), even some puzzle level in events are poorly designed. I am still traumatized by how tedious the first anniversary event is. The saving grace and what really makes this game popular is honestly just the waifus, and the story (somewhat) but mostly waifus, other than that, everything is just poorly executed.